The library is opening a new chapter
August 3, 2026
The Václav Havel Library today announces three measures with which it is opening a new chapter in its history. As an institution, the Library intends to continue operating under a new name and to preserve as many of its past projects as possible, as it feels a responsibility to continue the educational, research and awareness-raising programmes that the institution has built up over more than twenty years. However, it will not continue to organise the Annual Conference on the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, as it is not permitted to use the name ‘Václav Havel’ in the title of this project. The third change is the start of the process of building a new team for the library.
We will not be involved in organising the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
Historically, the conference accompanying the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize has been organised by the Library on the basis of an agreement with Mrs Dagmar Havlová, the Charter 77 Foundation and the Council of Europe. It has not been possible to reach an agreement with the trademark owner that would allow the Library to participate in the organisation of the annual Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. Given the approaching date of the event, it is no longer possible for the Library to continue with the organisation. We want the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize ceremony to take place this year as well, and we are offering our assistance to the organisers.
We are changing our name
The Library’s Board of Trustees has decided to begin the process of changing the Library’s name. We will provide further details on the nature and timetable of this process in the coming weeks. The Library’s mission remains unchanged. It is a service to the public, serving as a hub for research, education and public awareness, as well as a vibrant venue for meetings and discussions. “The name may change, but the reason for our existence will not. Havel’s legacy is not an archive, but a work in progress,” says David Dušek, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “In the current turbulent waters of both our own and global politics, we must protect and develop the ideas of the Velvet Revolution, which instilled in our society a commitment to freedom, truth and human rights,” adds Michael Kocáb. “At a time when ethics and democracy are in decline, the social role of this institution is more crucial than ever,” remarked Miroslav Bárta. The Library’s programme is proceeding as planned. This autumn, in collaboration with the Prague City Council, we will be staging an exhibition on Mariánské Square to mark the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth. On 10 September, we invite the public to a club evening entitled ‘Can the state media fulfil the role of public service media?’, a discussion on the role of the media during the Communist Party’s monopoly prior to 1989. A new development is our collaboration on the world premiere of the Havel/Havelka play *Warning* in English, to be staged in New York on 26 September 2026.
We are building a new team
The Library is strengthening and renewing its team. Part of this process is the Board of Trustees’ decision to terminate Tomáš Sedláček’s tenure as director. In the coming months, whilst we stabilise the new team and our operations, the Board of Trustees will launch a recruitment process for a new director.